Greetings from Hilltop. What a time to be at Camp, on Orcas Island, in the middle of this First Session. It’s hard to believe that we’re past the halfway point of the Session, but of course that is indeed the truth. Camp has a way of warping your sense of time. As someone more eloquent than me said about the phenomenon, “The days feel like weeks, but the weeks feel like days.” The Seniors left on trips today. That is a pretty big marker of time in our four weeks together. We’ve been together for two weeks. Everyone knows each other, the campus, and at least the most important songs. We’ve tried new things, and overcome setbacks. Some campers have made a friend, gotten into a disagreement, and made up with that friend again. We’ve had great special events like the Fourth of July, Gypsy Sisters and Swamp Chomp lunches, and of course Gypsy Day.
Now, it’s time to switch things up a bit. Our Seniors are going off on 6 day trips around the San Juan Islands and on the Olympic Peninsula. Nearly all of them are quite comfortable at Camp, but some of them are a bit nervous about trips, whether it’s about not knowing everyone in their group, going on a longer wilderness trip, or the physical nature of the trip. That nervousness is a big part of why we do trips. Parents often marvel at the growth that occurs in campers over the course of just a few weeks. Growth doesn’t occur by doing things that are easy. It occurs when we try things that make us a bit nervous. Time and time again, I’ve seen those nervous campers return from trips elated, proud of their accomplishments, happy to be reunited with friends from other trips, and full of inside jokes from their own trip group. It’s fantastic, and I’m a bit jealous of the adventures they’re about to have.
Back in Camp, we have great things in store for our Juniors and Intermediates. Camp will feel a bit smaller, with nearly 70 of our community members off on trips. Our 13 year olds will be the oldest kids in Camp, giving them a heretofore unavailable leadership opportunity. Lastly, we have some great things in store for them here, chiefly among them the always loved Burger Bar, in which the heads will give the kitchen staff the night off, dress themselves and the Lodge in a theme, serve burgers, fries, and milkshakes to the campers, followed by a movie projected onto a sail in the Boat Barn – the only “screen time” they’ll get for a month.
But, enough about the week to come. The week that’s past was action packed. On Monday, we played the Game of Life, an elaborate game of tag between the Barn and the Helm. On Tuesday, we had our 4th of July parade to Deer Harbor and a concert in the Garden. On Wednesday, we had our Gypsy Sisters and Swamp Chomp lunches. The girls had pizza and decorated cupcakes at the Drama Stage and revealed their Gypsy Sisters, Senior campers who’ve been writing notes and making presents for younger campers secretly throughout the month. The boys had barbecue on the Sports Field and played lawn games. For evening activity, we had Craftapalooza, a celebration of all things Craft Courts. On Thursday, we played Lord of the Rings, a great version of capture the flag that involves four teams, multiple flags, and a J.R.R. Tolkien theme. Saturday was a great Cabin Adventure.
Yesterday was Gypsy Day! Gypsy Day is an old tradition at Camp, begun when the water system failed in Ruth Brown’s era, and she sent everyone off the property to have an adventure while it was fixed. Today, it’s slightly more organized, but in the same spirit. We woke up a bit early. The Head of Girls and Music Director started in the Senior Girls’ cabins and woke them up with singing. The campers formed a chain and wandered through all the cabins and tents, singing and waking up the Camp. We all ended up on the Sports Field, where we played some big group games led by the oldest campers. We headed back to a crazily decorated Lodge for flags and a breakfast of sugared cereal (the only time during the month!), chocolate chip muffins with fortunes inside of them baked by the CTs, and eggs (on Paul’s insistence). At breakfast, each camper received a clue that told them about their Gypsy Band, which included a theme and a mode of travel. Each Band spent the day on a giant themed scavenger hunt, meeting crazy characters along the way. At the end of the day, we gathered in the Garden for Gypsy Court, where we recognized a boy and a girl from each age group, and two of each gender from the Seniors, as campers who have exceptionally displayed the values we espouse at Camp: Helping each other, trying new things, and being kind, welcoming, and inclusive. We had a great dinner, and then a Folk Dance for Evening Activity. It was a long, but fantastic, day.
That’s the news from Deer Harbor. Thank you so much for sharing your children with us. I look forward to spending this next week with the Juniors and Intermediates, and hearing stories from the Seniors about their adventures when they return on Friday. Until next Sunday, be sure to follow our daily updates on Twitter.